How to Save Money on Your Wedding—Part II

Our wedding was on April 17, 2010, and we were thrilled with the results. Here are some additional ways we have managed to save money on our wedding (remember from the first article that average costs are from the book Bridal Bargains):

Music/DJ for Ceremony and Reception: Average Cost $1,120

As mentioned previously, the owner of the place we are having our wedding and reception at is willing to announce us, announce our first dance as well as dances with parents, and play CDs of music throughout the ceremony that we choose. Therefore, we have decided to forego a DJ. The owner will also put his speaker system outdoors (or indoors, depending upon the weather), and play music for us on cue at the ceremony.

Cost Savings: $1,120

Flowers: Average Cost $1,103

The location of our wedding and reception will be putting in their first round of mulching and spring flowers the week before our wedding in order to spruce up the grounds. Because they run a restaurant business, they also have a florist who puts fresh flowers in vases as centerpieces on all of the tables each week. Therefore, we are only going to purchase flowers for the bridal party, parents, and grandparents in the form of bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, etc. Most of the flowers chosen will be in-season to help us with costs (I do not have a huge preference here, only that they are fresh!).

Cost Savings: $853

Photographer: Average Cost $2,650

This was a tip directly from the Bridal Bargains book mentioned above, and boy is it saving us money! I contacted the arts department chairperson at a local university and asked if he/she could recommend a photography student to be a photographer for our wedding. We offered a rate of $200, plus the rights to all digital photos on a CD (so that we can print out whatever we would like), and this comes to about $33 per hour (which I would have killed for as a student!). Sure enough, I was put in touch with a former student who does occasional freelance photography, and who would love the opportunity.

Cost Savings: $2,367 (includes the cost of the meal we will be offering him during our reception)

Jewelry for Wedding Day: Average Cost Not Broken Down in Book

I am happy to be borrowing a pearl necklace that my father gave to my mother while they were married, as well as matching pearl earrings that my grandfather gave to my grandmother! These match my gown perfectly.

Ceremony Site and Officiant: Average Cost $800

Because we are using the site for our wedding and reception during off hours (11:00 am to 5:00 p.m.), and they can still open up for the evening dinner time, we only are charged a $250 site fee in total. Also, we found a wonderful pastor from my childhood church who is giving us some pre-marriage counseling, which is something we both wanted to do. His cost is only $100.

You seem to be spending quite a bit of space justifying your decisions. You don’t need to – they are your decisions on how you want your wedding to be.

One question, though. Have you looked at your student’s work? Especially outdoor pictures of people? It isn’t the easiest thing in the world to make sure people are properly lit for good pictures (no strange shadows, too bright areas, etc). While you are saving a ton of money, you may regret it later. Think about how often you look at pictures of family and friends. Then make a decision as to how often you are going to look at your wedding pictures. Really, you want them to look good. I regret not a penny spent on my photog and he was not cheap.

My husband and I took over 500 pictures at a friend’s wedding and only got 125 decent pictures out of it. There are probably only 25 really good ones out of the bunch. I can do beautiful scenery shots, but people are hard without know-how and good equipment.

Thanks for your comments. I will be meeting with our photographer in February, and will ask to see some of his past work (he does freelance photography on the side). Also, our reception is indoors, but the wedding is outdoors, so I will certainly talk to him about lighting and such and see how much he knows.

Some good wedding saving tips Amanda! Heads up, Crystal from BTFS is doing her Member Post this week on Yakezie.com and provided a shoutout to you!Financial Samurai recently posted..On A Mission To Refinance America

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